A book on traditional shaman rituals on the South Korean island of Jindo was the original inspiration for director Park Hong-Min’s striking debut feature, Tiger competitor A Fish, he tells Edward Lawrenson
Telling of the attempt by middle-aged academic Lee (Lee Jang-Hoon) to track down his wife, the film is a rich and atmospheric drama with eerie overtones – and an unfolding sense of mystery that resonates long after the closing credits.
“I saw a picture of a shaman with white traditional dress doing a ritual,” says Park in advance of his IFFR premiere. “After that, I drove six hours from Seoul to Jindo island, and met so many people there. I kept visiting Jindo afterwards; I was deeply attracted to the people on this island. I thought of making films about their modest and sincere lives – the experience enlightened me deeply.”
That initial picture was the spur for a screenplay that sees Lee (played with gusto by Lee Jang-Hoon – the character is “naïve and stubborn”, Park says) discover his wife has become a shaman and is practicing alongside a spiritual elder (played by traditional singer Kim Myung-Ja).
Park shot this debut feature in 3D – a first for him, and for a Tiger film. “I think 3D film is exaggerated, contorted and somehow a violent medium,” he says, although he was determined not to use the technology – as it tends to be employed – for spectacle. Stressing the film’s exploration of states of “reality and fantasy”, Park shoots in a low-key subtle style that bucks the 3D convention for visceral effects.
Park admits making his first feature in 3D “was sometimes too much”, especially given the low budget, of around 48,000 Euros. Another challenge was location shooting at sea. In one scene, Lee and the actor Kim Sun-Bin (playing a private detective who accompanies him to Jindo) fall from a boat. “There were two scuba divers behind the boat to fish them out if there was an accident. But it was difficult to approach them in the middle of ocean, and it took quite a long time to take them back to the boat. Mr Kim can’t swim either – it was a real jolt to me!”
More about A Fish here.